Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted and paraded nine containers laden with illicit narcotics, expired pharmaceutical products and counterfeit medicines with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦53.3 billion at the Apapa Area Command, in what is regarded as one of the agency’s most significant anti-smuggling operations in recent times.
Addressing journalists during the official handover of the seized consignments on Wednesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizures were the outcome of painstaking intelligence gathering, advanced cargo scanning, meticulous physical examinations and robust inter-agency collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
A breakdown of the seizures showed that one 40-foot container (CAAU7569127) contained 3,639 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as “Canadian Loud,” weighing 1,819.5 kilograms, concealed among imported vehicles and spare parts. Another 40-foot container (HAMU3246311) concealed approximately 4.95 metric tonnes of Cannabis Sativa in 9,918 sachets hidden alongside vehicles and household items.
Also intercepted were two 40-foot containers (MRKU3816476 and TGBU5399178) containing 3,398 cartons of Codeine Syrup—equivalent to about 339,800 bottles—carefully concealed inside casserole products.
Three additional 40-foot containers (HASU4519480, MRKU4961275 and PCIU8771576) were found to contain expired pharmaceutical products, including Tramadol (Timakadol), Oxytocin injections, Mexclor Eye Drops, Carbamazepine tablets (Termigral), Cloxicillin capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 injections and Becoline B-Complex injections.
The Service also seized a 20-foot container (MRKU6964435) loaded with Piccan Teething Powder, while another 40-foot container (TCKU7000791) was discovered with 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate Capsules bearing a fake NAFDAC registration number (04-6646) and a misleading expiry date of December 2028.
Adeniyi stressed that the significance of the seizures extends far beyond their monetary value.
“These seizures represent far more than monetary value. They represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug abuse and unsafe medicines.
“The importation of expired pharmaceuticals and controlled substances poses a direct threat to public health, while the sophisticated concealment methods adopted by these criminal networks demonstrate their determination to exploit legitimate trade channels for illicit purposes.
“However, these interceptions equally demonstrate that the Nigeria Customs Service possesses the intelligence capability, technological capacity and operational readiness to detect, intercept and dismantle these criminal enterprises.”
The Customs boss disclosed that the final pharmaceutical shipment initially appeared legitimate but was flagged through Non-Intrusive Inspection technology and intelligence analysis. Subsequent verification established that the products were not registered with NAFDAC.
According to him, the use of a fake NAFDAC registration number confirmed a deliberate attempt to introduce unregistered pharmaceutical products into the Nigerian market. The consignment, he said, was seized in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and would be handed over to NAFDAC for further regulatory action.
Adeniyi announced that all narcotic consignments had been formally transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution, while the expired and counterfeit pharmaceutical products were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for regulatory enforcement and safe disposal.
He commended officers of the Apapa Area Command for their professionalism and vigilance, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling operations.
“Every intelligence lead will be pursued, every violation thoroughly investigated and every offender brought to justice in accordance with the law,” he declared, warning criminal networks that Nigeria’s seaports are “no longer safe havens” for illicit trade.
The seized narcotics were formally handed over by the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, to the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who was represented by the Assistant Commander-General of Narcotics, Achie-Abia Ogboba.
Speaking on behalf of the NDLEA Chairman, Ogboba described the handover as another milestone in the growing partnership between the NDLEA and the Nigeria Customs Service.
She revealed that the two agencies had jointly intercepted a total of 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Canadian Loud,” through two major operations conducted on June 15 and June 24, 2026.
According to her, the successful operation resulted from intelligence-driven investigations carried out by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), following four months of coordinated surveillance.
She explained that the first container (CAAU7569127) departed Toronto on April 16, 2026, travelled by rail to Montreal, and was shipped aboard the Ghallow Express to Tangier Med, Morocco, before being trans-shipped onto the Spartel Trader to Tin Can Island Port. The container was later transferred to the Global Bonded Terminal and subsequently moved by barge to Apapa Port, where it was intercepted.
Similarly, the second container (HAMU3246311) departed Montreal on May 1 aboard the Africa Express, was trans-shipped to the Algeciras Express en route to Tin Can Island Port, and was eventually transferred to Apapa Port on June 22, where it was intercepted by security agencies.
Ogboba commended the professionalism of officers of the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies involved in the operation, while expressing appreciation to the Customs Service for its sustained collaboration in combating transnational drug trafficking.
Receiving the container of counterfeit pharmaceutical products on behalf of NAFDAC, the agency’s representative, Mr. Olakunle Olaniran, also lauded the longstanding partnership between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service, describing it as critical to protecting Nigerians from the dangers posed by fake, unregistered and expired medicines.